Tibetan Funeral (Sky Burial)

The morning after the fire we attend a Tibetan Funeral. Although we arrive towards the end of the ceremony, we know the details.

A Tibetan van arrives at the burial site, three people step out, carrying a box with them.

The men take the body of the deceased Tibetan out of the box and tie it to a stake in the ground.

The men step away from the body and allow the waiting vultures to eat the flesh and eyes.

When most of the flesh has been devoured, the men untie the body from the stake, and one of them (the butcher) removes the skull from the spine and smashes it open to remove the brain and throw it to the vultures.

The butcher now hacks at the bones and grinds them to a pulp, adding an unknown powder to the mix while the other two men chase the vultures away. We arrive at this point in the ceremony.

When the butcher is finished with the bones and flesh, the men walk away from the remains, allowing the birds to feast once more.

Vultures devouring the remains of the body. In the background, the van the body arrived in; the butcher walks to the creek to wash the blood off his apron. The other men stand off camera smoking and observing.

For more info, refer to Wikipedia.